Appeal for donors as blood supply dwindles

With supplies dwindling and a drop in donations expected when the World Cup kicks off next week, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service is urging people to give blood.

Director of operations, Paddy Bowler, said IBTS expects blood supply levels to be down to four days in most blood groups by the middle of this week. To maintain supply and avoid shortages, they need 13,500 donations this month.

“That’s an extra 400 people a week compared to last month coming into our clinics,” he said, indicating the scale of the challenge.

Among factors impacting on donations at this time of year are summer holidays and a rise in the number of haemoglobin deferrals from 8% to 12%, due to the warmer weather.

If you are an O+ blood donor, pls make an extra effort to give blood this week as supply is lower than expected after the weekend #giveblood

— Giveblood (@Giveblood_ie) May 20, 2014

Donors are deferred for low haemoglobin — which means they are not eligible to give blood. Haemoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells.

“Blood lasts just 35 days and platelets five days, so we need people constantly coming to our clinics to maintain a consistent supply,” Mr Bowler said.

“Patients do not go on holidays so we are asking those donors who can, to give the gift of life to those patients.”

* For more information on donations, log onto www.giveblood.ie